2023 Week 9 Picks Recap
Top 5 games to watch – 4/5 thanks to Georgia, Texas, Tulane and Ohio State
Top 5 upsets that could happen – 1/5 thanks to Arizona
Overall picks – 5/10 and I hit a speed bump
2023 All Picks Recap
Top 5 games to watch – 39/45
Top 5 upsets that could happen – 19/45
Overall picks – 58/90 which means I need to look out for potholes
Week 10 College Football Top 5 Games to Watch
5. Kansas State vs. Texas
Early afternoon kickoff (12:00 PM EDT) on 11/4/23 from Austin, Texas. Wildcats are a dangerous team sitting at 6-2 and riding a three game winning streak. QB Will Howard (1628 passing yards, 14 passing TDs) and RB DJ Giddens (722 rushing yards, 7 rushing TDs), apply constant downfield pressure on a defense. WR/TE corps goes five players deep to keep the play calling unpredictable. Currently leading the Big 12 on defense due to only allowing 343.8 yards and 15.9 points per game. Longhorns are now in the Big 12 and CFP driver’s seat, due to Oklahoma losing in Week 9 to Kansas. Steve Sarkisian will try to keep his squad focused on their last ranked matchup of the regular season. QB Quinn Ewers is almost 100% healthy and will be a gametime decision. RB Jonathan Brooks (923 rushing yards, 7 rushing TDs) will continue to do the heavy lifting and motivate his teammates.
Prediction: Entertaining game for 60 minutes and Texas wins by 6 points due to a late defensive stop.
4. Army vs. Air Force
Afternoon kickoff (2:30 PM EDT) on 11/4/23 from Denver, Colorado. Black Knights are skidding into this game at 2-6, due to being on a five game losing streak. Dual threat QB Bryson Daily (740 passing yards, 7 passing TDs, 470 rushing yards, 4 rushing TDs), will be a one man highlight show. Three headed running attack (Kanye Udoh, Hayden Reed, Tyrell Robinson) will try to lighten the load on Daily. WRs Isaiah Alston and Noah Short will continue to run crisp pass patterns, despite playing in a run first offense. Falcons are 8-0 and sitting at #25 in the CFP rankings. Have two quality wins over Utah State (39-21) and Wyoming (34-27). Due to beating Navy in Week 8 (17-6), can clinch the Commanders-in-Chief trophy with a victory over Army. Expect double digit running carries for both QB Zac Larrier and RB Emmanuel Michel.
Prediction: Air Force runs a physical wishbone offense almost to perfection and wins by 14+ points.
3. Missouri vs. Georgia
Afternoon kickoff (3:30 PM EDT) on 11/4/23 from Athens, Georgia. Tigers have thrived in the SEC this season at 7-1 and have a quality loss to LSU (49-39). Balanced offense is due to QB Brady Cook (2259 passing yards, 15 passing TDs), RB Cody Schrader (807 rushing yards, 9 rushing yards), and WR Luther Burden III (905 receiving yards, 6 receiving TDs). Defense is susceptible to the big play and is allowing 338.0 yards and 23.3 points per game. Pushed Georgia in the 2022 game before losing 26-22. Bulldogs slipped from the top slot in the national rankings, to #2 in the first CFP poll released on 10/31/23. Have been impressive the last three weeks with 17+ point victories over Kentucky, Vanderbilt, and Florida. Now they get three straight ranked opponents and will amp up their rabid defensive unit to carry an average offensive unit. Welcome to deep and quality SEC play in November.
Prediction: Georgia feeds off the home crowd advantage and wins by 10+ points.
2. Washington vs. USC
Evening kickoff (7:30 PM EDT) on 11/4/23 from Los Angeles, California. Huskies have stutter stepped the last two weeks with closer than expected wins over Arizona State (15-7) and Stanford (42-33). QB Michael Penix Jr. is now only averaging 368 passing yards per game. Washington needs to adjust their offensive sets as they head into the stretch run against USC, Utah, Oregon State and Washington State. Still the valedictorian of the PAC-12, but have to take it one game at a time. Trojans are a wreck on defense and their offense is good but not great. Can salvage a lost season by winning all three games of tough gauntlet (Washington, Oregon, UCLA), but don’t bet the ranch on that proposition. As USC struggles to finish this season, all of the talking heads will focus on QB Caleb Williams destination for 2024. One more college season or heading to the NFL? Does the transfer portal enter the equation yet again? Only time will tell.
Prediction: Washington moves the ball at will and lights up the scoreboard to win by 9 points.
1. LSU vs. Alabama
Primetime evening kickoff (7:45 PM EDT) on 11/4/23 from Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Tigers have scored 48+ points per game during a current three game winning streak. Can still make some noise by wrecking the CFP standings if they upset Alabama. QB Jayden Daniels (2573 passing yards, 25 passing TDs, 521 rushing yards, 5 rushing TDs) paces this high scoring offensive unit. Malik Nabers (981 receiving yards, 9 TDs) and Brian Thomas Jr. (732 receiving yards, 11 TDs) are the best WR combo in the nation. Crimson Tide are 7-1 due to a six game winning streak, and patiently waiting for the teams ranked higher in the CFP poll to falter and fall by the wayside. Consistent QB play is still an offensive drive by drive goal. WR Jermaine Burton (508 receiving yards, 5 TDs) is leading an enigmatic receiving corps. Alabama relies on defense (306.4 yards and 15.6 points per game) and special teams this season, which is an old-school approach in the current era of lighting up the scoreboard.
Prediction: Best game of the weekend has Alabama winning in walk-off fashion by 3 points.
Week 10 College Football Top 5 Upsets that might happen
5. Texas A&M vs. Ole Miss
Below the radar SEC game of the week. Aggies are 5-3 and have a legitimate chance to finish above 0.500. QB Max Johnson takes way too many sacks, but he’s a decent game manager and will typically throw for 230+ passing yards and two TDs per game. This blogger isn’t a fan of head coach Jimbo Fisher, but if he lets his assistant coaches do their job, maybe good things will happen. Ole Miss is a fringe CFP contender due to being ranked #10, but they will be looking past this game for their matchup with Georgia in Week 11. QB Jaxson Dart is having a memorable season with 21 total TDs, and he has a trio of talented RBs moving the chains. Rebels are a dangerous team but also due for a letdown as a 3.0 point home favorite.
4. Oklahoma vs. Oklahoma State
Last chapter of Bedlam will be played in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The entire state of Oklahoma will shut down at 3:30 PM CST, to watch this storied rivalry come to an abrupt close. Sooners offense went cold in a Week 9 loss at Kansas (38-33), and now they have an uphill climb to the Big 12 Championship Game. Second year head coach Brent Venables will have to teach mental toughness to a squad, that will still be wondering what happened last weekend. Cowboys are 6-2 due to a four game winning streak. Seem to thrive in close games in the fourth quarter. Student body will be banging the stadium sideline pads with their paddles. Head coach Mike Gundy cares deeply about this rivalry due to playing and coaching in it. Gundy will have his team ready to play and pull off a mild upset despite being a 5.5 point home underdog.
3. Kansas vs. Iowa State
Jayhawks are 6-2 and causing the Phog Allen faithful to wait a little longer for the college basketball season starting on 11/6/23. On a lose-win-lose-win pattern, which means a loss is the predicted result this week. Backup QB Jason Dean (1131 passing yards, 9 passing TDs) has improved each week during his five starts. Helps that the RB and WR/TE corps know how to get up field and move the chains. Kansas is an entertaining team to watch as long as they match the intensity of their opponent. Cyclones are 5-3 and have a quality win over Oklahoma State (34-27). Have a brutal finish to the season due to facing Kansas, BYU, Texas, and Kansas State. Freshman QB Rocco Becht might be the real deal, but watch RB Cartevious Norton closely (276 rushing yards, 2 rushing TDs). Norton is a budding TD vulture for fantasy football players across the country. Kansas rides the fan wagon train into basketball season despite being a 3.0 point road underdog.
2. BYU vs. West Virginia
Both teams are 5-3 and looking up in the second tier of the Big 12. Cougars are breaking out their all white uniforms for this road game, to clearly stand out in a state that loves to hunt as a hobby. BYU is feast or famine on the scoreboard, due to either winning close games or getting blown out in losses. Mountaineers are consistent each week and typically score in the high 20s to low 30s. QB Garrett Greene and RB CJ Donaldson Jr. have combined to score 24 total TDs. Will need some help on defense and special teams to mitigate momentum swings. This blogger is going to keep picking BYU to win on the road, even though they are big 12.0 point underdog.
1. UCLA vs. Arizona
Late night PAC-12 game in Tucson, Arizona right before daylight savings time begins. Not an issue for the Wildcats since the state of Arizona never changes their clocks. Bruins are 6-2 and could race up the PAC-12 standings with a easy schedule over the last four weeks (Arizona, Arizona State, USC, California). QB Dante Moore continues to improve under center each week, and this squad can run the ball due to averaging 215.9 rushing yards per game. Arizona is 5-3 and has back-to-back wins over ranked teams (Washington State, Oregon State). QB Noah Fifita will continue to throw long passes to the talented WR tandem of Tetairoa McMillan (6 TDs) and Jacob Cowing (8 TDs). Make or break game for both teams and Arizona will pad their resume with another home win as a 2.5 point underdog.
Storylines to follow heading into Week #11
- Crank up the hype machine for Ole Miss vs. Georgia
- Big Ten hits the late season stride with Michigan vs. Penn State
- Who is the Heisman Trophy front runner after Week #10?
Same bat time, same bat channel next week. I’ll review the results of College Football Top 5 Week #10 and try again in Week #11.
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